Few countries emerged from the United States-led war o­n terrorism unscathed, least of all Southeast Asian nations, where the new 'front' for the war had been established.

The region which had attracted scant media attention in the west suddenly took o­n ominous significance when investigations into the al-Qaeda terrorist network brought investigators into Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and lately, into Thailand as well.

For Prof Osman Bakar ( photo ), a Malaysian academic with Georgetown University's Muslim-Christian Understanding Center in Washington DC, his task of correcting some of the misunderstandings about Islam in post-Sept 11 US suddenly grew with the need to set the record straight where Southeast Asia is concerned.

"In the first two months after the Sept 11 attacks, we (the Muslim-Christian Understanding Center) gave some 400 to 500 interviews to television, radio and newspaper journalists.

"People wanted to know what jihad was...and if Osama bin Laden represented true Islam. We tell them, no," said the Malaysia chair for Islam in Southeast Asia at the centre.

According to the professor, Southeast Asia was a region less known for Islam as compared with the Middle East until several incidents "opened the eyes of the US", chiefly the Abu Sayyaf kidnappings in Sabah, the linking of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the southern Philippines' separatist group, to al-Qaeda and the Bali bombings last year.

Osman's work is all the more significant as Georgetown University happens to be home to o­ne of the most prestigious foreign affairs schools in the US and is an important reference point o­n matters relating to religion and society for the government officials based in the capital city.

He has served as the deputy vice-chancellor (academic) at Universiti Malaya and has taught and researched o­n Southeast Asian Islam, contemporary Islamic thought, religion and science in the Islamic context, and dialogue of civilisations.

Credibility problems

During a meeting with a group of visiting Southeast Asian journalists last month, Osman explained that there were key differences in how Islam is observed in Muslim-majority Southeast Asian nations and in the Islamic Gulf states, although they share a common religion.

"I think Southeast Asia practises a more open form of Islam because the people there have to live with those of other faiths. It is a practical reality of their lives.

"The social aspect of religious observance is determined by local conditions," he said.

Nevertheless, Osman noted that even in Southeast Asian countries, which practise a more "progressive" and "moderate" form of Islam, locals tended to hold in higher esteem religious qualification obtained from Middle Eastern institutions.

"It is a question of impression (of theological studies in the Middle East) and it has nothing to do with quality. In fact, I have been very impressed with the intellectual development among scholars in Indonesia. Indonesia can definitely emerge as a centre for mainstream Islam.

"In Malaysia as well, there is the International Islamic University which serves students from some 90 countries. I think that we, in Southeast Asia, have the expertise and what (Southeast Asian students) want to learn about Islam can be found in their home countries," he said.

Student numbers peaked

As it is now, prospective Malaysian students may indeed have little choice but to turn to local institutions in view of the tightening of restrictions for theological students headed abroad.

Twelve months ago, an incident in which a dozen Malaysian students were detained temporarily for studying in an unregistered Yemeni school prompted the Education Ministry to issue a list of recognised institutions.

The government had also announced plans to bar students from heading into countries such as Afghanistan for their studies after some schools in the country and in neighbouring Pakistan were alleged to have been infiltrated by al-Qaeda recruiters.

"The government became very concerned after Sept 11 about the influence that could be exercised o­n these students. Many Malaysian students go to Cairo and a large number used to study in Iraq," said Osman.

"Admittedly, we still have students in Jordan and Saudi Arabia but I think the number of students from Southeast Asia headed to the Middle East has not been increasing. There was a time when the numbers peaked because Southeast Asia lacked institutions at the university level to cater to demand for religious learning."

Radicals in minority

Still, Osman cautioned against any party casting suspicions o­n Islamic institutions without proof of any involvement in questionable activities.

"People tend to make very generalised conclusions about madrasah (Islamic schools). They say that madrasah are the hotbed for Islamic terrorism. I do not agree with this. Let us first identify those that have links with (terrorist groups) first and not generalise.

"There has been the idea that madrasah fuel radicalism but this is certainly not the case in Southeast Asia. These are mostly exceptions to the rule. The teachings by Abu Bakar Bashir represent o­nly a small minority," he added.

Currently detained in Indonesia, Abu Bakar, the alleged spiritual leader of regional terrorist Jemaah Islamiah, had spent a decade in Malaysia and established a few madrasah.

Commenting o­n the recent move by Malaysian authorities to shut down public religious schools or Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR), Osman expressed doubts over claims that these schools could be used for purposes other than education.

"In Malaysia, there has also been concern over the sekolah pondok. The government can be watchful but still, I maintain that the majority of these schools are just concerned with education," he said.

Islamic resurgence inspired democracy

According to the professor, the resurgence in Islamic learning since the 1970s brought about many positive developments although the media spotlight often focused o­nly o­n the negative impacts.

Among others, Osman said that the resurgence in Islamic learning had inspired the growth and development of democracy and civil society in Muslim countries.

"This may seem strange to those who think that Islam is contrary to democracy but in actual fact, you will find that it has led to the growth of civil society."

For instance, said the professor, in Muslim countries where there are democratic elections, non-government organisations that form the backbone of Islamic resurgence have encouraged greater consciousness in the virtues of political participation, of the need for transparency and accountability at all levels of leadership, and o­n the qualities of good leadership and empowerment of traditionally neglected groups such as women.

"The resurgence (also) helped create a greater awareness for voluntary social and welfare work among Muslims and traditional institutions dealing with the poor, the needy, the disabled, orphans and the disadvantaged grew in numbers and became more modernised in their operations.

"Since there is no separation between religion and politics in Islam, the resurgence has also been partially political in nature, had brought about discourse in which the above issues have been given prominence. Of course, in Muslim countries where there are no democratic elections, Islamic political teachings o­n democracy could not find ample space to be put into practice," he explained.

Conversely, a negative impact of the resurgence of Islam has been the growth of radical organisations which sought to use Islam to achieve their political goals after realising that the religion provided the basis for popular support.

One example cited by Osman was the conflict between the Christian and Muslim communities in the Indonesian island of Maluku.

"The Maluku conflict was economic and not religious. It was a result of the transmigration policy (which moved inhabitants of populous Java to the outer islands). However, the conflict later spread because religion was brought in."

Media misrepresentation

But by and large, Osman felt that the majority of the world's 1.4 billion Muslim population remain largely unint erested in political Islam.

"(The few who have been radicalised) seem to speak so loudly because of the media but what about the silent majority? There should be a more accurate representation of Islam in the media."

For instance, the professor said the media needs to show where Osama bin Laden stands in Islam.

Questioned about the reasons behind some people's decision to display the terrorist mastermind's photograph, he explained that people may understand why he carried out the attacks, it did not mean that they agreed with him or sympathised with him.

To further illustrate, Osman said that the press also failed to convey that most Muslims considered the Abu Sayyaf group as criminals for kidnapping a group of tourists from Sabah for ransom two years ago.

"But why does the press continue to call them Muslim guerrillas? The Organisation of Islamic Conference has declared the Abu Sayyaf to be a criminal group but the media continues to portray it as a highly-regarded group (by Muslims). This does not help (the image of Islam)."

Media portrayal aside, what can help project the true image of Islam is more voices such as Osman's speaking out to correct the misconceptions and misunderstandings against Islam.

But while views such as those expressed by Osman may have limited reach among

today's decision-makers in Washington, they stand a good chance filtering through to tomorrow's leaders and diplomats.